The Babylonian Exile

When she saw that she had been thwarted, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made a young lion of him.

He prowled among the lions, grew to be a young lion, learned to seize his prey and became a man-eater.

He raped their widows and destroyed their cities; the land and all in it were appalled at the sound of his roaring.

The nations set a snare for him from the provinces all around, they spread their net over him, and he was caught in their pit.

With hooks they put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Bavel to imprison him in a fortress, so that his roar would be heard no more on the mountains of Isra'el.

"'Your mother was like a strong grapevine planted by the water. It was fruitful and luxuriant because of the abundant water.

It had strong branches to be used as scepters by rulers; besides having thick foliage, it grew taller and taller, until its height was noticed, with its mass of branches.

But it was torn up in fury and flung on the ground. An east wind withered her fruit, her strong branches were broken off; they dried up; and fire consumed the vine.

It has been transplanted to the desert, to a dry, thirsty land.

Fire has gone out from its own branches, burning up its fruit, so that now it has no strong branch to be a ruler's scepter.'" This lamentation became very well known.

On the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, some of Isra'el's leaders came to consult ADONAI and sat with me;

and the word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, speak to Isra'el's leaders; tell them that Adonai ELOHIM asks, 'Have you come to consult me? As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that I will not let you consult me.'

"Are you going to judge them? Human being, are you going to judge them? Then have them realize how disgusting their ancestors' practices were.

Tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Back on the day when I chose Isra'el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya'akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, "I am ADONAI your God."

On the day I raised my hand to them, pledging to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had reconnoitered for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands,

I told them, "Each of you is to throw away the detestable things that draw your eyes. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am ADONAI your God."

"'But they rebelled against me and wouldn't listen to me; they did not, each of them, throw away the detestable things that drew their eyes; and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them there in the land of Egypt.

But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were living, in the sight of whom I had made myself known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

So I had them leave the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert.

I gave them my laws and showed them my rulings; if a person obeys them, he will have life through them.

I gave them my shabbats as a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I, ADONAI, am the one who makes them holy.

"'But the house of Isra'el rebelled against me in the desert. They did not live by my laws; and they rejected my rulings, which, if a person does, he will have life through them; moreover, they greatly profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the desert, in order to destroy them.

But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.

Yet I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands;